Computers are customarily provided with sheet metal cage structures that contain a back plane. A back plane is a circuit board (e.g., mother card) or framework that supports other circuit boards, devices, and the interconnections among devices, and provides power and data signals to supported devices. The mother card is the main circuit card in the computer which connects to the back plane of the logic board. The computer cage structure is adapted to receive and removably support at least one and preferably a plurality of options or daughter cards (blades or nodes) which when operatively installed in their associated cage structure, upgrade the operating capabilities of the computer. For example, it is known to place an assembly, including a backplane and various circuit boards, such as a processor card, an input-output card and a so-called memory riser card, within an open cage. This forms a so-called central electronics complex (CEC) of a computer system. The cage is subsequently fixed within a computer housing.
A standard containing enclosure or cage protects the individual daughter cards and facilitates the easy insertion and removal of the daughter cards from a mother card (mother board) or back plane slot. These daughter cards may be installed in the computer during the original manufacture of the computer and or subsequently installed by the computer purchaser. The cage serves to position the circuit boards within the computer housing, and acts as an EMC (electromagnetic compatible) shield. An EMC shield allows operation in an electromagnetic environment at an optimal level of efficiency, and allows static charges to be drained to a frame ground. Moreover, the cage helps to protect the components contained therein from environmental damage, for example, vibrations, which could cause the components to fail.
Additionally, the cage is typically fixed within a so-called system chassis, which is a frame that provides further support for the cage, and which is removably stacked upon other system chassises within a system rack. The chassis may contain other components and sub-systems, such as power supplies and cooling fans, for example, which are connected to the components within the cage using cables, for instance.
A daughter card may include a relatively small rectangular printed circuit having a connecter along one side edge, a 24xe2x80x3xc3x9724xe2x80x3 node weighing over a hundred pounds, or a server, for example. The mother card or system back plane slot has a socket connector. The daughter card connector plugs into a corresponding socket connector of the mother card to operatively couple the daughter card to the mother card or system back plane slot.
The daughter card is in turn engaged with a number of input-output cassettes housing a respective I/O card for connection within a daughter card enclosure. In such daughter card enclosures, the I/O card is mounted within a removable card enclosure or cassette. Each of these input-output cassettes must be blind swapped into the daughter card enclosure. This removable card enclosure allows for I/O card installation or removal from the daughter card enclosure when the card enclosure is installed or removed from the computer cage structure.
Given the extremely dense pitch and packaging of present I/O blind swap cassettes and the population of the daughter card into which the I/O card plugs, it has become necessary to develop a guidance system into the daughter card enclosure which minimizes both the mounting points to the mother card enclosure and the physical space such a solution may consume.
Thus, there is a need for an arrangement that will allow for blind swapping of an I/O card from a daughter card for servicing, for example, which does not require manually connecting and disconnecting various electrical connectors to provide signal interconnection therebetween while providing an easy and reliable means to align the I/O card to make such signal interconnections within the daughter card enclosure.
An apparatus for guiding a card enclosure into a daughter card enclosure includes a daughter card removably positioned within a cage for connecting the daughter card with a mother card. A cassette assembly removably positioned with the daughter card enclosure for connection with said daughter card includes a card configured for pluggable signal interconnection with the daughter card. A guide means for guiding the cassette assembly into proper alignment with the daughter card is mountable therewith and an associated stiffener using two mounting locations. The guide means is configured to insure full insertion of said cassette assembly before plugging in the card and insure an unplugged status of the card before extraction of the cassette assembly from the daughter card enclosure.
In another embodiment, a multiple card enclosure includes a mother card cage having a mother card enclosed therein; a daughter card removably positioned within the cage for connecting the daughter card with the mother card, the daughter card having a signal connector configured to connect to the mother card for signal interconnection therebetween; a cassette assembly removably positioned with a daughter card enclosure for connection with the daughter card, the cassette assembly having a card configured for pluggable signal interconnection with the daughter card; and a guide assembly configured to guide the cassette assembly into proper alignment with the daughter card for pluggable signal interconnection therewith, the guide assembly mountable to the daughter card and an associated stiffener using two mounting bosses extending from the guide assembly. The guide assembly is configured to insure full insertion of the cassette assembly before plugging in the card and insure unplugging of the card before extraction of the cassette assembly from the daughter card enclosure.
In yet another embodiment, a central electronics complex of a computer system includes a cage configured to be received in a rack; a backplane disposed in the cage, the backplane including a mother card having at least one card slot on a surface thereof; a plurality of daughter cards removably positioned within the cage, each daughter card having a signal connector configured to connect with a corresponding card slot in the mother card for signal interconnection therebetween; a cassette assembly removably positioned with a daughter card enclosure for connection with each daughter card, the cassette assembly having a card configured for pluggable signal interconnection with each daughter card; and a guide assembly configured to guide the cassette assembly into proper alignment with each daughter card for pluggable signal interconnection therewith, the guide assembly mountable to each daughter card and an associated stiffener using two mounting bosses extending from the guide assembly. The guide assembly is configured to insure full insertion of the cassette assembly before plugging in the card and insure unplugging of the card before extraction of the cassette assembly from the daughter card enclosure.